Hohnstein is a town located in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony, in eastern Germany. As of 2020, its population numbered a total of 3,262.

Geography

It is situated in Saxon Switzerland, 12 km east of Pirna, and 28 km southeast of Dresden (centre). It is dominated by its castle, standing on a sandstone rock. The municipal territory includes the villages (Ortsteile) of Cunnersdorf, Ehrenberg, Goßdorf, Lohsdorf, Rathewalde, Ulbersdorf and Waitzdorf.

History

In 1900, the town had a population of 1,321. During the German invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, in September 1939, the Oflag IV-A prisoner-of-war camp for Polish officers was established at the local castle, and from 1940 it also held French and Belgian officers and orderlies. In 1941, the Oflag IV-A was dissolved, and the Stalag IV-A POW camp was relocated to Hohnstein from Elsterhorst. It held Polish, French, British, Belgian, Serbian, Dutch, Soviet, Italian, American, Slovak, Czech and Bulgarian POWs, and was liberated by the Soviets in April 1945.

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